19 December, 2017 11:39 AM" LAST THOUGHTS " 안녕히 계세요 Comfort in our failures allows us to act without fear, to engage without judgment, to love without conditions. It is like the dog that lets the tail go and realizes that it’s already a part of himself. Packing up my bags and spending the past four and a half months vagabonding throughout South Korea was the most challenging yet rewarding decision I have ever made and I would never take it back. You learn a lot. About people, about the world, about life and most importantly you learn more about yourself. Sometimes lessons come at unwanted times and it will give you unwanted truths. Other times you learn things you can't unlearn and see things you can't un-see. Regardless, you will grow in ways that you can't learn until one goes beyond their home, and by beyond I mean a completely different country. So, here is what I have learned during my stay in Seoul. We've talked about the hardships being abroad - being homesick, making real friends, being safe, learning social norms and even misreading people you once trusted. But these facets of life is what forms you, not conform you. I believe that these perceptions are followed by enlightenment. It has been a long five months for sure and I simply can't wait to be bolstered by the reunions of my family and friends a day before Christmas Eve. . Studying in a country I have never been in forced me to face obstacles head on. I can't even explain the amount of times I have embarrassed myself here - whether it be stuttering in hangul (Korean Language) or ordering something extremely foreign whilst holding my internal american exposes just to prevent myself from saying something silly in the moment of confusion. Though, I learned that the mass majority of people really do not care what I say. Most of them would simply laugh and it is liberating. This is something you can not learn while sitting comfortably at home and spending you life commuting to the same locations every day. I have learned and am still learning how to appreciate life's simplest experiences. Moreover, finding healthier means in life: appreciating simple friendships, creating something beautiful, lending a simple hand, and laughing with someone you care about this is something I live by everyday. I've learned the hard way that ones greatest assets is not necessarily talent or experiences, it is time. Time gives you the opportunity in taking risks and making mistakes. You can only get away with these things while you're "young", which is why I believe studying abroad is such an invigorating opportunity. INSIGHT :
Dear South Korea, this experience has been absolutely ineffable. Except the cold, the snow, and the occasional "ice skating" to class conditions in December. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for everything you've had to offer and I hope to see you again!
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12 December 2017 10:14 AM" DON'T DROP THAT GPA " Silver Bells | Yesterday marked my last presentation of the semester and I haven't started my studies for finals week yet. Well it is now the perfect time to start. But rather so, here I am writing my feelings away instead. It's nice sitting in cafes as it lets me know that I am not the only one in this predicament. How I know that I am not the only one suffering: First, there is an unusual taste for coffee and/or sugar amongst every uni student. Secondly, everyone is awake at ungodly hours. Just to visualize, cafes are filled at 3:47 AM and some, well most uni students sleep ever so conformably in these cafes and seize to move out of their area of proclaimant. Thirdly, the odd increase of consistent note takers/studiers who rise to the occasion during the week before finals. All and all, we (Korea University students) can all relate to the general societal breakdowns and communicate through incoherent groans as we approach our impending doom, finals. Okay, I am exaggerating just a bit but my first final is tomorrow but I am pretty confident! So what happened this week? I took a break from studying and went to Tongin Market (통인시장) a public food market. What is unique about Tongin Market is that visitors can opt in to pay 5,000 won ($4.50) to try a lunchbox cafe. So this is how it works: You are given a lunch plate (similar to the ones we'd get in grade school) and a string of 10 coins to pay the vendors. The coins are worth 500 won and most dishes range in prices of 500 won (one coin) to 1000 won (two coins) per dish. You would slowly fill up your plate and go to a designated eating area where you can also purchase miso soup and rice for 1,000 won. This is the perfect place for those who are adventurous and would like to try various Korean dishes! Contrary, I absolutely am in love with how cafes in Seoul are playing Christmas songs. It makes me even more excited to come home this time of year. Soon it will be Christmas day. But first, finals. . 3 December 2017 10:43 PM"APPROACHING FINALS WEEK" CHATOYANT | A day closer to the most wonderful time of the year means a day closer to finals. But it also means a day closer to being home. The holiday spirit in Seoul is probably the only holiday that Seoulites physically express as you see streets covered in Christmas lights. Contrary to note, as an update on my courses, I realized that there is one common trend for english speaking classes which are presentations. Every single class has one to three presentations and needless to say it is one of the most mind boggling tasks that I have to do in KUBS. The reason being is that not everyone presents. In a group of lets say 6, a maximum of two members will present, or in other cases one member will present on the behalf of the other 5, which yes if you concluded I was selected as being the solo presenter for two of my four courses! On a happier note I have been on a museum binging-spree. This weeks museum is MCMA which is free for University students. Now a days the weather in Seoul would occasionally have "dandruff" snow and it has been absolutely beautiful. A short walk away from the museum is Insadong, the perfect place to pick up Korean souvenirs. Also, if you want to do more shopping, particularly for beauty goods, Myeongdong is three stations away from Insadong! Weirdly enough I wouldn't think I'd miss the Chinatown back home as bad as I thought I did when I was walking through Chinatown Incheon. It was a 1.5 hour subway ride from Korea University and it was well worth it. The food was absolutely drool worthy as you would see stalls left to right. The surrounding area of Incheon Chinatown offers activities such as Jayu Park, Fairy Tale Mural Village, Jajangmyun Museum, and the Incheon Art Platform! What is really nice is that they are all within walking distances from one another. 27 November, 201 5:00 PM"ISLAND OF THE GODS" EBULLIENCE |
D A Y 1 ITINERARY (NORTH/EAST JEJU)
The first day we traveled to East Jeju and went to Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak) which is a archetypal tuff cone that formed from seabed hydro-volcanic eruptions. Sunrise peak is a 50 minute hike and the entry fee for the leisurely hiking trail costed 2,000 won. Shortly after, we took a express bus which was 2,500 won ($2.20) and arrived to our next destination, Manjanggul Cave, a designated natural monument that features one of the finest lava tunnels in the world. The entry fee is 2,000 won ($1.80). The people here are extremely open and friendly, so whenever we were ever lost, the locals would guide us towards the right direction and other cases we were extremely grateful for those who offered us to drive us to our destination. Our next destination was the North, Jeju-Si to see the Samyang Black Sand beach. Unfortunately, during our arrival, the beach appeared barren because of the unpleasant cold weather and fairly large ocean waves. We agreed that we'd stay out later to see a Traditional Korean Market: Dongmun Market! We had a ton of street food and negotiated prices between ahjummas and ahjussi's for souvenirs to bring home. There is also a very popular savory pastry with dried octopus flakes, Jeju grown barley with a mozzarella filling ! Furthermore, you should not leave the market without bringing hallabong oranges back home! These oranges embodies Jeju merit and are found universally anywhere on the island. You can also play a part in the experience of orange picking and bring what you've picked back home! We decided to join in the orange festivities and purchased Hallabong Manjoo's to snack on in the market. D A Y 2 ITINERARY (CENTRAL JEJU)
Hallasan, oh how me and Jeanie totally underestimated you. But unexpectedly, it is the most memorable experience during our stay in Jeju. Locals refer Mt. Hallasan as Mt. Yeongjusan which means "The mountain high enough to pull the galaxy". The mountain is home to 1,800+ botanical species and 4,000+ creatures (including snakes, yikes). The course is 6 miles up and another 6 miles down. With realization of the length of the hike, we began our excursion early and finished around 5:30 pm! Contrary, we did not realize how cold the weather conditions would be. Jeanie is from Florida and being a gal from Hawaii, we both have not experienced such heavy snow fall before. Believing that Jeju is the "Hawaii" of Korea, we slowly started to hesitant as we progressively moved further into the hike. Needless to say, you could consider the both of us dumb and dumber because we were not dressed the part. As ahjumma's (older women) and Ahjusshi's (older men) were pitying us and emphasized how cold we must have felt, many offered us hot water, gloves and face masks along our way up (very grateful) and brushed our shoulders to keep us warm. They had snow grip cleats, hiking canes and a abundant amount of layers for the hike. Unlike us. BUT, needless to say. When we made it back to ground zero, we were beyond relieved and starving. Our next destination, Jeju City for Black Pork! A must thing to do in Jeju is to try black pork which is a delicacy. The pork is a domestic pork found on the island which is more succulent and claimed as a "higher quality meat". We found a BBQ joint in Jeju City and thought it would be a tourist scam. We ordered twice the amount of servings as we were clearly starving. I carefully picked up the first piece of meat with my chopstick. After carefully analyzing it, I found a few black hairs on the meat. After placing it onto the grill, I found that the skin began to caramelized and crisp. Then, mixing the meat with Doenjang (Korean Soy Paste), Gochujang (Korean red paste), Kimchee, and onion all wrapped in a lettuce leaf, I found a strong liking of pork for the first time! Since the hike took most of our day, we decided to take another round of grubs and settled with Korean Fried Chicken! But there's always room for dessert and in Jeju "White Dreaming Donkey Cafe" which is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. Their signature dessert is their green tea bingsoo topped with traditional chapssaltteok (korean style mochi) D A Y 3 ITINERARY (SOUTH JEJU)
The past two days tested our physical capabilities, so our last day was more relaxing. We visited InnisFree a Korean Skincare brand and O'ssuloc Green Tea Farm. Oddly enough we were starving and had quite a large breakfast at Innisfree and dessert at O'sulloc. I was looking forward to seeing the Bonte museum as it featured a piece from my favorite artist Yayoi Kusama. The tickets were the most i've paid for a gallery in Korea and costed 20,000 won ($18.50). The exhibition featured a refined mirror/light room. The Bonte museum has 5 galleries in total featuring contemporary art pieces. The museum is fairly new and was built in 2012 by Tadao Ando, a renowned architecture who is a self taught architect. On the contrary, you can not leave Jeju island without trying seafood and we found the best and only sushi joint in Arang Joeul Food Street. You would have to make reservations, and we were nearly turned away until a existing customer offered us to join him on his table. A brisk walk from the Arang Joeul Food Street is Chongjeyeon Falls and the falls closes at 10:00 pm so we took the chance to see it before we went back home! TIPS:
20 November, 2017 5:26 PM"GLOBAL TINTINNABULATION" Assemblage | Seoul Arts Center: 무민원화전 Moomin Exhibition The exhibition features Tove Jansson's original artwork of Moomins, a Sweedish character adorned by many Soulites. The exhibition features never before seen pieces and original illustrations of the comic. Contrary, the Seoul Arts Center features exhibitions from calligraphy, taxonomy of design, and occasional pop ups like the Moomin Exhibition! They also have a music hall and a opera house which is on my to-do list before I leave Seoul. The weather in Seoul is dropping quite periodically. A subtle new beginning approaches as the trees shed their leaves. A cold gust of a promised change and I feel something stir inside of me. The feeling? Cold intolerance. As a result, daily convenience store runs for my two disposable heat packs and a steamed sweet potato keeps me sane in this weather. A dewy condensation on a cafe caught my eye and made me smile. I have never lived in the cold and it was a moment of realization as I thought to myself: I have embraced change to its entirety; to the the extent that I haven't really taken the time to step back and ponder about it. I have adopted a Seoulites way of life in Korea and found that living abroad has taught me how to face any given situation head on. What I mean is that failure is less terrifying. Rejection is less painful. Unpleasant necessities are actually pleasant and the unsavory tasting facets of life are a little more savory. It is a bit early to say this, but I will miss this place. On the other hand, I paid Namiseon Island another visit alongside a group of friends for some delicious Hotteok. On a whim we visited Garden of the Morning Calm. Sadly, we visited during a depressing period. Most of the garden was closed off because of the weather. The next day I got to meet Henry and Josh at Hanok Village. It was a horrible time to be in a hanbok, but we embraced the cold!! My friend lily who goes to Yonsei University showed me around her campus and the surrounding area. Needless to say, their campus is far more nicer then Korea University's campus. Shortly after we visited the Leeum Museum of Art. Out of all the museums i've been to, I highly suggest visiting this one. Entry fee is 10,000 won, however, they have a student discount that brings the fee to 5,000 won ( 50% hooray ! ). I have never been out as much as I would love to, but now I am savoring every day as there is t-minus 31 days left in Seoul, South Korea. On the other hand, this weeks destination is Jeju Island ! I heard it is warmer out there (thank goodness). 6 November, 2017 9:59 AM"3/4 DONE" ELATION | I am a little over halfway there and halfway through my time in South Korea. With 47 days, I decided to cram as much as I could over the weekends even if it means no sleep. This weekend featured the following:
Personally, Hongdae is my favorite place to go to for shopping. Many would hear about Myeongdong as the unmitigated place to go to for shopping, but Hongdae has just as many stores, better restaurants/cafes/vendors, and is far less crowded. Plus they have quirky cafes such as the Raccoon cafe (8,000 won for a visit and drink of your choice), Sheep cafe (Thanks Nature Cafe), Dog cafe (Bau House), The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (The Korean Drama: Coffee Prince was filmed here), and a Meerkat Cafe! Shortly after Hongdae, we took the subway to Jonggak (This is where you would get your Alien Registration Card) but we came here for the Seoul C. Music Festival 2017 and the Seoul November Lights which is self-evident happening once a year. The Seoul November Lights is sort of like Honolulu City Lights, but the theme is the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games 2018. The entire stream of Jonggak is filled with floats that light up the night. Namiseom is two hours away from central Seoul and you would have to take a shuttle and a ferry to the island. I would recommend paying for a shuttle service as your only form of transportation in the surrounding area is taxi. Trust me, it will save you a lot of time, and stress. The ferry ride to the island is 8,000 won (round trip). However, for thrill-seekers, there is another option which is zip lining that will cost 38,000 won (one way). Namisum is a tiny half-moon shaped island located in Chuncheon, South Korea. It was inundated by the rising water of the North Han River from the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam in 1944. I would say Fall is the peak time of Namisum as it is foliage paradise. There are restaurants, activities and performers, so regardless what time of day you'd arrive there is something to do. We spent an entire day here and we plan on coming back for activities that are on the outskirts of Namisum for more sightseeing! 1 November 2017 11:51 AMSCINTILLATING PERCEPTION EU-TOPOS|
The most iconic flower were the Globe Amaranth. This flower is known for being timeless. (The purple ones above) I am being literal, as the flower does not change color after being dried which is how it has gotten its name of "1,000 days flower". In the states we have roses, in Korea they have the Globe Amaranth resembling eternal and unchanged love. On the other hand, the field had food vendors but keep in mind that they would charge you more so don't be afraid to haggle for prices! We eventually took a taxi to one of the most beautiful cafe I have ever seen. Let me tell you, it was one heck of a ride getting to cafe 비루개. (Bilugae). It reminded me of home, as we drove through scenic trees resembling a drive on the Pali towards Kailua. After driving on a unmanaged trail for thirty minutes, we made it! The cafe is literally a deluxe tree house for adults, but we were so disappointed finding that they did not have food on their menu, only coffee (an incentive to keep people in and out quickly). My friends decided to stay to do work as we waited for our time in a rope hammock. It was 6:00 PM, pitch black dark and we tried calling a taxi. We waited, and we waited... As confused as we were we ran back into the cafe and asked the workers if they could dial a taxi for us. However, we received the strangest suggestion. They said that there is no way a taxi would come into the surrounding area and the only way we could get out of the cafe is to carpool. Yes, carpool with strangers. As afraid as we were, we really wanted to get out of the place as it was getting extremely cold. We built the courage and asked a couple, shockingly, they were not reluctant as we were and offered to take us down the mountain. After a bit of small talk they asked us where our destination was to and told us that they would take us directly to our subway line so we wouldn't have to transfer. Needless to say, they drove us for a little over two hours and we were extremely grateful. Contrary, we all got yelled at by our peers and was told to never carpool ever again. But it was sort of a life or death situation..? Anyways, we made it back home!
26 OCTOBER 2017 3:34 PM"COLLEGE MIDTERMS IN KOREA" SOMNOLENCE | Now, exams. Exams here will bring fellow students to a standstill. Whilst securing a high grade on these tests, well, needless to say, they are difficult. You will witness students living in libraries three weeks prior to the exam period while surrounding cafes fill to the brim throughout fall break with the most studious students I have ever met. Before all else, as a fair warning, if you plan on cramming your courses within an entire day or a span of 2-3 days a week, well, please take into consideration that you will be taking your exams all on that day or the span of 2-3 days during midterm week and finals week. Also, grades will not be announced, it will happen whenever the professor feels like posting it. Now getting into the nitty-gritty of my course midterms I can say that midterm week has beat me to my pulp, but I made through it!
During midterm week I was interviewed by a journalist who is a writer for “Segye Times”. There was a bit of a language barrier but we were able to overcome the odds. The question was "One, how did you overcome cultural differences and two, can you tell us about your struggles being an exchange student at Korea University?" This is what I said :
In spite of Korea’s increasing interest in westernization, social interaction is dictated by a Confucius or collectivist society. To put into perspective, in America we have the tendency of valuing individualism, and speaking up for one's self. On the other hand, in Korea their perception is what benefits the group entirely, opposed to an individualist approach in any given setting. This ideal is prominent and embedded into the fabrication of their societal norm. With personal struggle, I feel as if there is a tremendous pool of labor that you are in competition with, but the catch is that you are blinded. It has become a vicious cycle of trying to become the hardest worker without having to show it, and despite a strong spirt and weak flesh you still have to keep up your appearances even when you are at your breaking point. Often times I feel as if I am living in a suppressed society, but despite this system I believe that this is what makes Korea unique. Notwithstanding the negative implication, I believe that this is what makes an embracement of a different culture, or studying abroad not just challenging, but enlightening. Before we parted ways, the journalist handed me an enclosed envelope with two heart stickers that sealed the opening, "A gift." she whispered while pointing to the two hearts and with a big smile she said "me and you, thank you." This week, if I were to condense it into one sentence in respect to what I have learned, it would be: Carry out an act of kindness with no expectations of reward, rather, have it safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you. 10 OCTOBER 2017 11:09 AM"THE CITY OF TOMORROW" BUSAN | Chuseok weekend was memorable as it was 10 days of being school free. Me and a group of friends decided to go on a quick exploit to Busan, the unheralded city in South Korea. Here, you'll find the city brimming with cobalt oceans, verdant mountains and amaranthine bound of seafood. From Seoul, you would have to take a train to get to Busan. There are two options:
During our stay we went to the following places:
1 October 2017 8:59 PM다 잘 될거야 (IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY) ROSY | Week 5 has been well; I have gained a sense of righteousness towards the people who live here. As my observance towards the culture here, I have found a leveled grounding and mutual understanding of what Korea has to offer, or throw at me. This upcoming week is Chuseok, which means "Autumn Eve". This is said to be the largest holiday that people celebrate in South Korea. Contrary, this means that schools out for an entire week and it's time to travel! I will be making my way to Busan and the surrounding area over this "Thanksgiving holiday". I wanted to go to Jeju Island but tickets were sold out the entire week as it is a trend for local people to go there over the holiday weekend. But there is still time to do that! I had the opportunity to try a hanbok but in modern usage. Renting a hanbok for 20,000 Won gives you a traditional dress, hair styling, and a petticoat. I would recommend going to Insadong for this experience. Foreigners are highly encouraged to try this traditional dress. Upon the experience, the entrance fees to surrounding palaces are free! Needless to say, here are some of my favorite moments this week : |
AuthorCindy is an epicurist, a food photographer, and a self-proclaimed creative writer. When Cindy isn't studying at Korea University Business School (2017), she can be found in cafes, asking random seoulites for directions, or singing at noraebangs (korean karaoke). Archives
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